Nationwide Absentee Ballot Voting Rules

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Alabama. You can vote absentee if you:
-Expect to be absent from the county or the state on Election Day
-Are physically incapacitated and will not be able to vote in person on Election Day
-Are a registered Alabama voter living outside the county, such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person
-Are working as an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than their regular polling place
-Will be working a required shift, 10 hours or more, that coincides with polling hours
-Are serving as a caregiver for a family member; or
-Are currently incarcerated in prison or jail and have not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Alabama's page.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Alaska.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Arizona.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Arkansas. You can vote absentee if you:
-Will be unavoidably absent from your polling site on election day
-Will be unable to attend your polling site on election day due to illness or physical disability
-Are a member of the Uniformed Services, merchant marines or the spouse or a dependent family member and are away from your polling location due to the member’s active duty status; or
-Are a U.S. citizen whose residence is in Arkansas but is temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Arkansas's page.

All registered voters in California are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

All registered voters in Colorado are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Connecticut. You can vote absentee if you:
Cannot appear at your assigned polling place on election day because of:
-Absence from the town
-Sickness
-Physical disability
-Active service in the Military
-Religious tenets forbid secular activity on the day of the election; or
-Duties as an election official at a polling place other than your own during all of the hours of voting.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Connecticut's page.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Delaware. You can vote absentee if you:
-Are in the public service of the United States or the State of Delaware and are unable to come to the polls, or are a spouse or dependent who resides with someone in the public service of the US or Delaware and can't come to the polls
-Have a job that prevents you from coming to the polls, such as providing care to a parent, spouse or child who is living at home and requires constant care, or being a student
-Are incarcerated and otherwise eligible
-Are sick, or temporarily or permanently physically disabled
-Are are on vacation; or
-Have a religious reason for being absented from the polls.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Delaware's page.

All registered voters in District of Columbia are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Florida.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Georgia.

All registered voters in Hawaii are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Idaho.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Illinois.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Indiana. You can vote absentee if you:
-Have a specific, reasonable expectation that you will be absent from the county on Election Day during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open (6 a.m. until 6 p.m.)
-Have a disability
-Are at least 65 years of age
-Will have official election duties outside of your voting precinct
-Are scheduled to work at your regular place of employment during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open
-Will be confined due to illness or injury or you will be caring for an individual confined due to illness or injury during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open
-Are prevented from voting because of your religion or a religious holiday during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open
-Are a participant in the state's address confidentiality program
-Are a member of the military or a public safety officer
-Are a "serious sex offender"; or
-Are prevented from voting due to the unavailability of transportation to the polls.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Indiana's page.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Iowa.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Kansas.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Kentucky. You can vote absentee if you:
-Cannot go to the polls due to age, disability, or illness will be unable to vote on election day or during walk-in absentee voting
-Are a student who temporarily resides outside the county where you are registered to vote
-Are temporarily residing outside the state but are is still eligible to vote in this state (this includes vacationers)
-Incarcerated in jail and have been charged but not convicted
-Are a member of the Armed Forces or a dependent who will be out of the county on election day
-Are residing overseas (temporarily or permanently)
-Are a participant in the Office of the Secretary of State's address confidentiality protection program; or
-Have moved, or are moving, to a different state while the new state's registration books are closed before a Presidential Election.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Kentucky's page.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Louisiana. You can vote absentee if you:
-Are a Senior Citizen, 65 years of age or older
-Are or expect to be temporarily outside of Louisiana or your parish during the early voting period and on election day
-Work or expect to be offshore during the early voting period and on election day
-Are a student, instructor or professor or their spouse or dependent located and living outside of your parish of registration
-Are a minister, priest, rabbi, or other member of the clergy or their spouse or dependent assigned outside of your parish of registration
-Moved more than 100 miles from the parish seat of your former residence after the voter registration deadline
-Are involuntarily confined in an institution for mental treatment outside of your parish of registration and have not been judicially declared incompetent
-Are prohibited to getting to the polls because you are or expect to be hospitalized on election day
-Are incarcerated or expect to be incarcerated and are are not under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony
-Are a program participant in the secretary of state's Address Confidentiality Program
-Are a juror and will be sequestered on the day of the election
-Are physically disabled (you will be required to provide proof of disability); or
-Are homebound and cannot vote without assistance.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Louisiana's page.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Maine.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Maryland.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Massachusetts.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Michigan.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Minnesota.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Mississippi. You can vote absentee if you:
-Are a student, teacher or administrator at any college, university, junior college, high, junior high, or elementary grade school, or are the spouse or dependent, and will be out of the county of your voting residence
-Are a member or employee of the Mississippi congressional delegation or the spouse and dependent of such person and will be away from your county of voting residence
-Will be away from your county of residence on election day for any reason
-Have a temporary or permanent physical disability and are unable to vote in person without substantial hardship to yourself or others, or going to the polls could reasonably cause danger to yourself
-Are the parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside of their county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles distant from their residence and will be with this person
-Are sixty-five (65) years of age or older; or
-Are unable to vote in person because you are required to be at work on election day during the times at which the polls will be open.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Mississippi's page.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Missouri. You can vote absentee if you:
-Will be absent on Election Day from the jurisdiction where you are registered to vote
-Are incapacitated or confined due to illness or physical disability on election day, or are a person who is primarily responsible and resides at the same address as the person who is incapacitated or confined
-Are prevented from coming to the polls due to religious belief or practice
-Are employed as or by an election authority at a location other than your polling place
-Work as a first responder, a health care worker, or a member of law enforcement
-Are Incarcerated and meet all qualifications for voting; or
-Are a participant in the address confidentiality program.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Missouri's page.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Montana.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Nebraska.

All registered voters in Nevada are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

Check back later for updated information.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in New Jersey.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in New Mexico.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in New York.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in North Carolina.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in North Dakota.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Ohio.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Oklahoma.

All registered voters in Oregon are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Pennsylvania.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote by mail in Rhode Island.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in South Carolina. You can vote absentee if you:
-Have work obligations
-Are attending a sick or physically disabled person
-Are confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
-Will be absent from your county of residence
-You have physical disabilities
-You are sixty-five years of age or older
-You are a member of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines or are a spouse or dependent residing with them; or
-Are admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within a four-day period before the election

For the above excuses to apply, you must be unable to vote during the entire early voting period and the hours the polls are open on election day.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at South Carolina's page.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in South Dakota.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in Tennessee. You can vote absentee if you:
-Are sixty (60) years of age or older
-Will be outside the county where you are registered during the early voting period and all day on Election Day
-Are hospitalized, ill or physically disabled and unable to appear at your polling place to vote. A physician’s statement is not required to qualify
-You are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled. A physician’s statement is not required to qualify
-Are a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county where you are registered, or the spouse or dependent of said student
-Reside in a nursing home, assisted living facility or home for the aged outside your county of residence
-Are a candidate for office in the election
-Are observing a religious holiday that prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on Election Day
-Serve as an Election Day official or as a member or employee of the election commission
-Will be unable to vote in-person due to jury duty
-Have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place
-Possess a valid commercial drivers license (CDL) or Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card and you will be working outside the state or county of registration during the open hours of early voting and Election Day, or are the spouse of such person
-Are a member of the military or are an overseas citizen; or
-Are on the permanent absentee list.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at Tennessee's page.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote by mail in Texas. You can vote absentee if you:
-Are 65 years or older
-Are sick or disabled
-Will be out of the county on election day and during the early voting period
-Are expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; or
-Are confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote by mail at Texas's page.

All registered voters in Utah are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

All registered voters in Vermont are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Virginia.

All registered voters in Washington are mailed a ballot.
Contact your local election official if you do not receive a ballot .

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee in West Virginia. You can vote absentee if you:
-Have an illness, injury or other medical reason
-Are disabled or of advanced age.
-Are incarcerated or on home detention and are otherwise eligible.
-Work hours and distance from county seat
-Are disabled and do not have an accessible early voting site or polling place
-Will be traveling for personal or business reasons and have an address outside of the county
-Are attending college or other place of education or training outside of the county
-Are temporarily residing outside of the county
-Are an elected or appointed state or federal official
-Are a member of the United States uniformed services and Merchant Marines on active duty, or a spouse or dependent; or
-Are a United States citizens temporarily or permanently residing outside the country

Your County Commission may also extend emergency absentee voting to:
-Voters who have resided in a nursing home within the county for less than thirty days
-Voters who are in a hospital or other duly licensed health care facility within an adjacent county or within thirty-five miles of the county seat; or
-Voters who become confined, on or after the seventh day preceding an election, to a specific location within the county because of illness, injury, physical disability, immobility due to advanced age, or another medical reason.

Learn more about who is eligibile to vote absentee at West Virginia's page.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Wisconsin.

Eligible voters do not need an excuse to vote absentee in Wyoming.